


There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

by rednecksaints



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bethyl Week, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-05 02:46:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12181392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rednecksaints/pseuds/rednecksaints
Summary: Glenn and Beth share a moment while anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones.Set at the jail.





	There'll Be Peace When You Are Done

**Author's Note:**

> * This one shot was written in response to a prompt submitted by @sl4btown on Instagram *

When thinking of peace, it’s hard to remove yourself from the equation. We want it for the world, and for others, but we selfishly want it for ourselves the most. Beth never envisioned Glenn to be a selfish person, but it was impossible to deny that he, almost more than everyone else at the time, wanted that peace for himself.

Rick remained lost in the tombs even days after Lori’s death. He was tangled in the twists and turns of his mind, as well as the physical walls that separated him from the rest of his familiar during such a terrible, terrible time. He hadn’t had the will to even hold his daughter, and the responsibility had fallen on the others to make sure that newborn remained alive. Remained a sign of hope in light of their loss. Daryl was determined to make sure no one else died on his watch, so he and Maggie had left hours before on a run for formula and whatever else they could find to insure baby no-name would be content.

Beth was the last to take over her care, but she’d been forced to hand the child off to Carl when Glenn returned from searching the tombs a second time. He’d come back bleeding, initially ignoring Carol’s request to check for bites, but then finally succumbing to Beth’s calm hand. He assured her he wasn’t bitten, but the gauge in his left bicep was nasty nonetheless.

“I ran into some exposed pipe,” he told her, wincing at the cold water she poured into the wound.

Beth wiped away the dried blood and examined the depth of the cut. “It’s not too deep,” she declared, “but I need to clean it so it doesn’t get infected.”

Glenn nodded and relaxed into a reclining position against the stairs. Beth dabbed a small helping of hydrogen peroxide onto a cloth and began pressing it into the wound. Bubbles formed around the edges of the cut, already doing their job of killing whatever bacteria clung to the surface. The bottle had been an extraordinary find from one of Daryl’s runs, and they’d used it sparingly so far, however, Beth feared the day when one of them sustained anything worse than a cut and required the most use from the bottle.

Despite that thought, it wasn't the thing that distracted Beth from fulling focusing on her work. She found her eyes wandering back and forth between the door and Glenn's arm in front of her. 

"They'll be fine," Glenn reassured, sensing her reserve. 

Beth caught her bottom lip between her teeth and forced a small grin. "I know," she said. "Maggie's tough."

Glenn cocked his head receptively. "So is he."

Beth knew he was baiting her. They'd never spoken aloud about her relationship with Daryl, only exchanged knowing glances at one another whenever the situation called for it. Maggie didn't even know, and if it hadn't been for unfortunate timing, Glenn would still be unaware. As it was, he'd caught them in a moment. Not one that would prove to be embarrassing or compromising by any means. But it was intimate. It was a touch from Daryl on Beth's face that ignited Glenn's suspicions, and after that he just knew. Neither of them had said a word about it, but secretly Glenn knew everything, just by the look on Beth's face. 

Glenn took Beth's silence as confirmation of her worry. "I know what it's like," he put forward. "Not knowing if they'll come back. If they'll be bitten. Or worse."

Beth squeezed her fist around the wet rag now stained with Glenn's blood. Her jaw clenched and worked as she caught sight of Carl rocking his sister from the corner of her eye. "The stakes are higher now," she forced. "We have a baby that needs things we don't. What Maggie and Daryl come back with will determine whether or not that baby lives or dies."

Glenn was taken aback by her abrasive tone, but still, his brow knitted in thought, and he understood. "That might be what's keeping you going, but I know that trick too. Forcing yourself to see the bigger picture isn't always helpful. You're ignoring the little things - that small part of your heart that aches for him to come home... to you."

Beth swallowed hard, not meeting Glenn's eyes. 

"Why are you hiding it?" he questioned.

She met his gaze, slowly and deliberately. "I'm afraid."

He placed his hand over hers where it rested above his wound. He squeezed her fingers lightly, then said softly, "We all are."


End file.
